Memory

"Flags are bits of colored cloth that governments use first to shrink-wrap people's brains and then as ceremonial shrouds to bury the dead."
— Arundhati Roy

CNN was on in the break room for most of the day. There was a lot of coverage on the Senate hearings and the propose troop pullouts. There was coverage of the 9/11 remembrances, images of the towers falling, images of the smoldering Pentagon.

I'm not going to rehash what I wrote here and here. I think there's merit to the idea that 9/11 was an inside job. Want a copy of "Loose Change"? I'll gladly burn one for you.

In any event, working for XYZ Corporation, and the project I'm on, folks are pretty conservative. At lunch, I heard the following exchange while 9/11 footage was on TV:

Gray-haired dude: "I remember it like it was yesterday."
Old bald dude: "Yeah, me too. I wish more people did. My folks know exactly what they were doing during Pearl Harbor."

OK. I don't think any of us really forget what happened that day. Does bringing it up everyday make you a better American? Are you more patriotic if you have more flags and magnetic ribbons on your car? Seriously.

Everyone remembers — or mourns — in his or her own way. I didn't know anyone in the towers, the Pentagon, or on the planes. It was a tragedy, a slap in the face to what so many hold dear. I knew our world changed that day, but it took a few years to figure out what that change was. It took a few years to realize the war has nothing to do with 9/11. I don't think that makes me unpatriotic. I think more questions need to be raised about 9/11 and how and why those towers fell. We certainly don't have the right answers on why we're in Iraq. And really, I don't think many people realize that we're a heartbeat away from martial law. Patriot Act folks, look into it. Damn that soap box...

In any event, I won't forget. You don't forget traumatic events; many of us bury them so they don't boil too close to the surface. There's nothing wrong with healing and moving on. Living your life with raw sores exposed to the elements is nothing more than sadomasochism. I tried that for awhile. Self pity and loathing just aren't worth it. You've got to move on.

You don't forget, you go forward.